Long before Johnny and Knoxville and co hilariously pushed the limits of how much the human body can — and should — withstand with their now-iconic hijinks, there was an entirely legion of silly stuntmen that came before them. For hundreds of years, daredevils have captivated audiences — and left fans with a resounding "why" — with their shocking stunts.
From the Up-adjacent antics of Larry “Lawn Chair Larry” Walters to the original Batman, here are 15 old-timey daredevils we'd laugh at today.
1
Sam Patch
“TIL of Sam Patch, a man who successfully jumped from Niagara Falls, Passaic falls, and other high points before dying on a second jump over Genessee falls. Ironically, he advertised the event as "Sam's last jump" (intended as his last jump in that area; not as the last of his life).”
2
Annie Edson Taylor
“The first person to survive going over Niagra Falls in a barrel was a 63 year old woman named Annie Edson Taylor. She was hoping to make enough money from her fame to become financially secure, but never got much, in part because her manager stole her barrel.”
3
Steve Brodie
In 1886, daredevil Steve Brodie shocked the nation after alleging to have survived a jump off of New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge. While experts are divided on whether Brodie was telling the truth, he has been memorialized with the term “do a Brodie,” which means to take a chance or make a very big jump.
4
Clem Sohn
Clad in a homemade wing suit, skydiver Clem Sohn — a.k.a “The Batman” — wow-ed crowds by leaping from planes, using his attire to glide towards the ground before opening a parachute and touching down. He ultimately died at age 26 after his parachute failed during a jump.
5
Maria Spelterini
“TIL about Maria Spelterini, who in 1876 became the first (and only) woman to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope. She crossed several more times with increasingly difficult handicaps: peach baskets strapped to her feet, blindfolded, and with her wrists and ankles shackled together.”
7
Larry “Lawn Chair Larry” Walters
“In 1982 a Los Angeles man named Larry Walters used a lawn chair and weather balloons to ascend to 15,000ft above ground. On the way up, he lost both his glasses and his bb gun, which he planned to use to shoot balloons to descend. He caused a 20min power outage, and was fined $1500.”
8
Donald Campbell
Throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, English daredevil Donald Campbell broke eight land and water speed records, including one of each in 1964. Despite his fruitful career — he earned the Command of the British Empire in the late 1950s — he ultimately died in 2001 while attempting to break another water speed record.
9
Bud Ekins
An inductee into the Stuntmen’s Hall of fame, Bud Ekinssshot to stardom after pulling off one of the most iconic motorcycle stunts in cinema history while serving as Steve McQueen’s stunt double in 1963’s “The Great Escape.”
10
Kenny Powers
“In the early 70s a daredevil named Kenny Powers attempted to jump a rocket-powered car from Canada to the US over a mile-wide river.”
11
Omer Locklear
“In 1920 while filming "The Skywayman" daredevil Ormer Locklear was supposed to buzz his plane past an oil rig, but crashed into it when the crew failed to illuminate lights warning their position. Despite his death the footage was used in the final product.”
12
Chuck Yeager
“During a test flight in 1961, a DC-8 became the first passenger jet to break the sound barrier and go supersonic. Chuck Yeager was the chase plane pilot.”
13
Reinhold Messner
“Reinhold Messner, the first man to summit Everest without oxygen, was also the first to summit all 14 8000m peaks, reaching those without oxygen as well.”
14
Philippe Petit
“In 1974 a man named Philippe Petit snuck into the World Trade Center, strung cable between the towers and proceeded to dance on his tightrope a quarter of a mile in the air with no safety equipment.”
15
Joseph Kittinger
“The longest free-fall in history was 102,800 feet, done by Joseph Kittinger. He fell from outer-space, reaching a speed of 614 mph.”
